Conversion of a pinane alcohol



be had to the literature for further details.

' 2,972,633 CONVERSION OF A PINANEALCOHOL Eugene A. Klein, West Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to TlhgGlidden Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation o hi The present invention is concerned with the conversion of a pinane alcohol. It is particularly concerned with the conversion of a bicyclic terpene alcohol, that is, verbanol,

ire States ce into acylic derivatives which are useful in the flavor, perfume and pharmaceutical industries.

The simple derivatives of the acyclic terpenes, for ex- .ample, the oxygenated compounds, have heretofore been obtained principally from the essential oils found in various plants in nature. The oils are obtained by distillation and by working up the distillation products, all of which results in considerable expense. The C aldehydes and alcohols are examples of important oxygenated acyclic terpene derivatives which are used in large quantities in the perfume and flavor as well as other industries. It would be desirable, therefore, if the more valuable oils could be obtained from less expensive sources and by simpler processes, especially where such processes were less costly than known methods of manufacture.

Accordingly, an object of my invention is the preparation of valuable oxygenated acyclic terpene compounds by a simple process and from an inexpensive source.

.. .A further object of my invention is the conversion of verbanol to novel and valuable compounds of the oxygenated acyclic type.

Another object of my invention isthe preparation of novel oxygenated acyclic terpenes which are useful in the flavor and perfume industries by a simple and inexpensive process. Other objects will become apparent from a description of my invention to be given hereinafter.

for preparing the novel products described hereinafter.

"comprises pyrolyzing verbanol under conditions that result in the isomerization of the alcohol to produce C acyclic products and thereafter recovering said products.

The starting material for the process of my invention, that is,,verbanol, is, well known and can be obtained by well-known methods. It can be prepared, for example,

.by' the reduction reaction of verbanolwith hydrogen and a catalyst; for example palladium. Such reduction reverbanol, can be obtained as a mixture of isomerides or The product,

Qrolysis for this unit.

'as' a relatively pure material by selecting appropriate reducing catalysts and reactants and/or reaction conditions. Thus, the bicyclic alcohol can be obtained in optically active or racemic form, or mixtures, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention, I have found that I can isomerize verbanol at temperatures of from 350 to 700 C., dependingupon the time to which the verbanol is subjected to the thermal isomerizing temperature. Thus, at 400 C., I can employ liquid phase pyrolysis whereby verbanol is heated in an autoclave under autogenous pressure for, say, 1 to 3 hours. At somewhat higher temperatures, say, 450 C., the time required would be much less and might be in the order of, say, /2 minute to several minutes. At still higher tempera: tures, for example 550 or 600 C., the verbanol can be subjected to treatment for only a small fraction of a second. While liquid phase pyrolysis of verbanol is satisfactory at the lower temperature ranges, it is much less satisfactory at the higher temperature ranges where the autogenous pressure developed would be very high, and it would be more mechanically difficult to subject the liquid to high temperatures for very short periods of time. Therefore, when employing temperatures of 500 C. or higher, I prefer to vaporize the verbanol at relatively low pressures, say, atmospheric or subatmospheric, and pass the verbanol vapors through a tube heated to the appropriatetemperature. I can vary the time of treatment by varying the design of the tube or by varying the flow of vapors through the tube. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that it is difficult to measure the temperature of treatment where temperatures of, say, 500 or higher are employed. As is known, radiation effects and related phenomena tend to greatly reduce the accuracy of temperature measurement at such higher temperatures. I therefore employ a thermometer of good quality and adjust the temperature of the tube to a fixed, though perhaps erroneous value and then adjust the flow of vapors through the tube so that the product is substantially isomerized as determined by assay of the product. The product is readily assayed by conventional instrumental analysis, such as ultraviolet, infrared or vapor chromatography. It can also be assayed by conventional chemical methods, such as determination of percent alde hyde, percent unsaturatiometc. Having established suitable conditions for the pyrolysis using the particular pyrolysis design, I adhere to the arbitrary flow and temperature conditions chosen as representingoptimum py- Itcan be shown that if about 30 gallons of isoverbanol are vaporized per hour and the vapors are passed through a tube of /s diameter and 10 feet long and at a temperature of about 600 C., the

product will be largely isomerized under these conditions.

Since there is some restriction of flow imposed by the small diameter of the tube and by its length, the vaporization temperature for the verbanol will be somewhat above its boiling point at atmospheric pressure unless a vacuumv is applied to the condenser of the pyrolysis unit. The mixture obtained by the isomerization reaction can be thereafter, in accordance with my invention, be

recovered such as byfractional distillation, preferably vacuum distillation.

The thermal conversion of the verbanol need not be complete, and, in general, I find it convenient to secure PatentedFeb. 21, 1961 only partial, though substantial, conversion of the alcohol to the desired isomeric acyclic compounds and then recover the desired compounds. It is also within the scope of my invention to recycle unreacted verbanol to obtain a more thorough conversion, or to increase temperatures or contact times, etc. to obtain the same result. The recovery of the converted materials, or fractions enriched with them, can be effected by physical or chemical means, a suitable method being fractional distillation with an efficient column. and as heretofore indicated, preferably vacuum distillation.

In order that. the processof my inventionbe more fully understood, reference is made to the following specific examples. It should be understood, however, that-recitation. of specific temperatures, pressures and reactant materials are by way of illustration and, not by way of limitation.

Example 1 Samples of verbanol, which had been prepared from optically active 1.-verbenol by. hydrogenation over a Pt catalyst, were pyrolyzed at 400, 460 and 520 C. by adding the material dropwise at- 2 to 3 cc. per minute down the side of a heated, vertical one-fourth inch standard iron pipe. The verbanol added dropwise is vaporized from the side of the pipe and within a few inches of its point of introduction. The temperature of pyrolysis was determined from a thermocouple inserted down the center of the pipe. Infraredspectra were made of each of the pyrolysates and these indicated the total isomerization as Well as various structural features. of the products. At 400 C.,,for example, there was: very little isomerization, while with increasing temperature there was more isomerization, as indicated by the. when tion of less alcohol and the increased formationof nonconjugated aldehydes; a total of about 25% of aldehyde being obtained in the sample-isomerized at 520 C.

Example 2 Using thesame procedure as in Example 1, 407 grams of verbanol was pyrolyzed at a temperature of from 450.t0 470 C. Infrared analysis of the total pyrolysate showed about 70 to. 80 percent alcohols and about 20 percent carbonyls.

The pyrolysate obtained by the above procedure was fractionated through an efiicient column packed with Pyrex glass helices and twenty fractions were collected ranging in size from 3 to, 32 grams. The boiling points of..these fractionsranged from 5.8 to 102 C. at mm. absolute pressure; Infrared spectra madeshowed the following compounds present as well as their structural features:

A non-conjugated acyclic aldehyde of'the empirical formula C H O; B'.P. between 73 to 81 C. at 10 mm.; semicarbazone (uncorr.) 116 C.'; 19% yield. The aldehyde was purified by combining the fractions'containing it and shaking them with a saturated solution, of sodium 7 bisulfite containing a small amount of sodium carbonate. The addition compound, which precipitated almost immediately, was filtered and washed with light naphtha. The. aldehyde was then regenerated by adding a potassium carbonate solution to the bisulfite'compound suspended in water and light naphtha. The solvent was then removed from the light naphtha solution to yield a pure aldehyde which had the same odor as citronellal. An infrared spectrum of the pure aldehyde showedit to contain its major absorption bands at the following wavelengths (,u): 5.85; 6.88; 6.97; 7.20; 7.28; 7.49; 7.95; 8.20; 8138; 9.0; 9.38; 9.8 (broad); 10.12 (broad); 10.45; 10.96;

g and 11.77.

num oxide catalyst. The sample consumed one mole of hydrogen per mole of sample, although after this reduction, it was still unsaturated to bromine- An infrared Qspectmmof the. reduced product showed that the aldehyde had been converted to a primary alcohol with its major absorption bands at the following wavelengths (a): 3.0 (broad); 6.90 (broad); 7.07; 7.20; 7.27; 7.49; 9.0; 9.47; 9.7010.50 (several indistinct bands); and 11.80.

3,7-dimethyl-1,6-octadien-5-ol, B.P. 87 to C. at 10 mm.; 11 1.4590, a 6 to 7 (10 cm. tube); 26% yield: An infrared spectrum of this material showed it to have its major absorption bands at the following wavelengths (,u.): 3.0 (broad); 6.08; 6.9 (broad); 7.04; 7.26; 7.47; 7.73 (broad); 7.90; 8.12; 8.34; 8.80; 9.15; 9.33; 9.55; 9.83; 10.08 (broad); 10.62; 10.95; 11.82; and 12.0.

A sample of this alcohol was reduced with hydrogen at 60 lbs./ sq. in. pressure in the presence of a platinum oxide catalyst. The sample absorbed two moles of hydrogen per mole of alcohol. An infrared spectrum of the reduced alcohol showed it to be identical with the spectrum of a known sample oftetrahydrotagetoland it was identified as such,

Unidentifiedalcohol: This alcohol wasv present inthe semi-crystalline fractions boiling between 97 to. 100 C. at 10 mm. The compound, which was concentrated in the liquid phase or the mother liquors of these fractions, was concentrated by filtering the combined fractions in this boiling range. An infrared spectrum of the filtrate had its major absorption bands at the following wavelengths (a): 3.0 (broad); 6.05; 6.80; 6.86; 7.04; 7.26; 7.45; 7.72; 7.90; 8.20; 8.40; 8.65; 8.82; 9.03; 9.3.0 (broad); 9.65; 10.03; 10.63; 10.95;.1125; and 11.72.

Theiunidentified' alcohol was reduced with hydrogen at a.v pressure of about 60 lbs/sq. in. in the presence ofa platinum oxide catalyst. An infrared spectrum of: the reduced product had its. major absorption bands at the following wavelengths (a): 3.0 (broad); 6.87; 7.06; 7.28; 7.52;.7.72; 7.92; 8.20; 8.35; 8.48; 8.67; 8.82; 9.03; 9.16; 9.55; 9.66; 9.77; 10.05; 10.68; 10.87; 11.32; and 11.70.

It was noted that the major component of the reduced sample was verbanol, but the; unidentified alcohol was characterized as having a methylene group, C=CH by the disappearance on reduction of the infrared; bands at 6.05; 10.95 and.l2.25p..

Verbanol was the major. componentboilingbetween 100 to 102 C. at 10 mm. The compound was identified by. comparison with an infrared spectra of a known sample ofpure verbanol.

Thus, a summary of. the distillation and? spectral data showed the pyrolysate to have. the following approximate COMPOSIIIOIIZ' Compound: Percent Non-conjugated acyclioaldehyde 19 3,7-dimethyl-1,6-octadien-5-o1 26 Unidentified alcohol 10 Unchanged verbanol 20 Low' boiling fragments (loss) 25 fied to produce products having perfurnery value. 'Also,

it can be hydrogenated to tetrahydrotagetol, a known product, which can thereafter be esterified'to. produce an ester(s) having, perfumery value. Thus, all of.the.prod ucts. of my invention resulting from the conversionof a bicyclic terpene alcohol consisting of verbanol are useful in the scent or odor imparting chemical field..

Resort can be. had to modifications and equivalents fallingiwithin the scope. of my invention.

I claim:

1. A process for preparing a mixture comprising 3,7-dimethyl-1,6-octadiene-5-ol and a O l-i 0 non-conjugated aldehyde having a boiling point between 73 to 81' C. at 10 mm. pressure which comprises heating verbanoi at a temperature of from 350 to about 700 C. for a period of time sufficient to produce said mixture.

2. A process according to claim 1 wherein the verbanol is heated to a temperature of above about 350 C. to

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Simonsen: The Terpenes, vol. 1, 2nd ed. (1953), pp. 

1. A PROCESS FOR PREPARING A MIXTURE COMPRISING 3,7-DIMETHYL-1,6-OCTADIENE-5-OL AND A C10H18O NON-CONJUGATED ALDEHYDE HAVING A BOILING POINT BETWEEN 73* TO 81*C. AT 10 MM. PRESSURE WHICH COMPRISES HEATING VERBANOL AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM 350* TO ABOUT 700*C. FOR A PERIOD OF TIME SUFFICIENT TO PRODUCE SAID MIXTURE. 